Marjeta Bejdo

Introduction

In this article, I share how I use translanguaging in my class to create a safe classroom environment for my multilingual students by drawing on their whole linguistic repertoire. According to Vogel and Garcia (2017), “translanguaging is a theoretical lens that offers a different view of bilingualism and multilingualism” (p. 1) that is being used as a practice and pedagogy in classrooms all around the world. Najarro (2023) defines translanguaging in academic settings as “the ability to move fluidly between languages and a pedagogical approach to teaching in which teachers support this ability” (para 5).

This practice does not take a lot of my teaching time; however, it does require developing a translanguaging pedagogy and commitment to adapt it and apply it in your classrooms. 

Garcia et al., (2017) have identified the following components of translanguaging pedagogy. 1. Stance – teachers value the linguistic wealth that students bring into their classrooms and use it to support their learning; 2. Design – students language practices inform the decisions that educators make as they design learning activities. 3. Shifts – teachers demonstrate flexibility and are able to make on spot changes to learning activities based on student feedback. 

 

Guidelines for Classroom Implementation

The objective of using translanguaging in my classroom is to make all of students feel safe and welcomed as well as to encourage my multilingual students to use their whole linguistic repertoire to participate in our classroom. I am located in Washington state and teach in a kindergarten classroom. Being an immigrant and a multilingual educator has had a great impact in my teaching practices especially with multilingual students. I value and promote multilingualism in my classroom, school and the field of education with my work. However, using a translanguaging pedagogy does not require teachers to be bilingual or multilingual.  

Every year when I get my class roster, I look at my students’ home languages and learn how to say “hello” in their languages. I great them in their home language when they come to our open house and that paves the road for a trusting relationship with them and their families. On the first week of school, I always read the book Say Hello by Rachel Isadora, which introduces my students to different languages and ways to say “hello”. Then I share about my linguistic background and about how I got my English accent. I start by teaching the whole class simple words in languages of students who are newcomers or who don’t speak a lot of English yet, as well as some sign language. I continue doing that throughout the year. These practices help me create a space where all linguistic wealth is valued and where students are welcomed and encouraged to use all their linguistic repertoire to engage in learning. Students know that they can speak in any language in our class. If you walk in my classroom, you will hear students that speak the same language use their home language and English to engage in academic and social conversations. You will also hear monolingual English-speaking students use the words that I have taught them in other languages to greet, invite friends to play with them, and support them following directions as needed.

Conclusion

Our students come into our classrooms bringing their whole selves, meaning that our multilingual students bring with them their whole linguistic wealth. They don’t leave their home language at our classroom door when they enter our classrooms and engage in learning. They use their knowledge of their home language to make sense of what they are being taught in school. It is our job as educators to understand the importance of their home language and to find ways to use them in our classrooms in order to support their learning. Translanguaging is not a new theory nor a new pedagogy. However, it is one that might intimidate educators especially those who are monolingual. I encourage educators to build their translanguaging pedagogy skills and use this pedagogy in their classrooms to support their multilingual students use all their linguistic wealth participate in their education. Afterall, according to Najarro (2023) all students benefit from practicing translanguaging in classrooms because not many students use academic English at home, no matter their home language. 

 

References

García, O., Johnson, S., & Seltzer, K. (2017). The translanguaging classroom. Leveraging student bilingualism for learning. Philadelphia: Caslon.

 

Najarro, I. (2023, August 15). What is translanguaging and how is it used in the classroom? Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/what-is-translanguaging-and-how-is-it-used-in-the-classroom/2023/07 

 

Vogel, S., & García, O. (2017). Translanguaging. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.181